Evil
by Saiyuri-kun
Summary: Placed after season 2 episode 3. Just an idea of where the story could go. slight Boleska.
1. Chapter 1

This was it for Bolin. He had enough of the threats from Eska. He was going to break up with her if it killed him. Bolin had respect for himself.

Today he would do what he wanted. Instead of getting up early to serve the needs of Eska and Desna, he was going to sleep in and have a nice filling breakfast. Afterwards, Bolin took a nice walk down the main street to meet his fate.

As he neared the twins, it was obvious they had been waiting for him. Eska's eyes were like fire.

Bolin ducked his head, "Maybe being a popsicle won't be so bad…"

"You are late," Eska ground out.

"Um…so?" he nervously spoke.

She grabbed his collar, "What did you say?"

Bolin cleared his throat, "Uh, nothing."

She let go of him and scoffed, "That is correct."

"You know what? No. That isn't correct! I don't want to be your slave anymore. You two are horrible people."

Desna laughed, "How are we horrible? We are treating you as the uncultured scum that you are."

Bolin's eyes widened, "How…how could even say that?"

Eska ignored him, "It seems he is no longer any use to us, Desna."

"A promise is a promise," he smirked.

Suddenly, ice surrounded Bolin's legs. He acted quickly and moved the earth up to shatter the ice. The twins moved toward him. The only thing he could do was flee.

Bolin aimlessly ambled the streets not knowing what to do anymore. When a hand touched his shoulder, he jumped and turned. It was only Mako. He was quick to hide his upset expression, but he already knew that his brother had seen it.

Korra jogged up from behind, "Hey, Bo. We were wondering where you went to. We saw the twins without you."

Bolin managed a smile, "Uh, yeah. I finally got out of that situation…kind of."

Mako's eyes were cold and serious, but his girlfriend interrupted him before he could say anything.

"Well, I should head over to see Unalaq. He wanted to teach me a bit of spiritbending before the trials started."

Bolin was confused, "Why are you going to see him? You're parents are in trouble. Shouldn't you be dealing with that."

"There's nothing I can do. Besides, no one can prove they did anything wrong."

The earthbender frowned, "I wouldn't say that."

Korra's eyes widened, "Are you accusing my parents?!"

Bolin moved back, "No, no. That's not what I meant! Just forget I said anything."

Mako put a hand on his brother's shoulder, "You know something, don't you?"

"No…I mean, I just don't think you guys should trust Unalaq."

Korra stepped forward, "What are you saying, Bolin? That's my uncle!"

He just looked down at the snow, "I'm sorry…"

Mako gripped Bolin's shoulder tighter, "…Bo?"

Bolin backed away, "Well, I'm gonna go now. Got stuff to do, you know?"

He walked away quickly and turned down the first alley. Unknown to him, warriors were waiting there for him. They easily overpowered him and carried him off without a sound.


	2. Chapter 2

Bolin was recklessly thrown onto a hard surface. He was bound and blindfolded. He heard the sound of metal clanking together and a lock clicking. When he realized there was no one near him, he used the ground to shove off the poorly tied blindfold and broke his ties. The room was dark and it took a minute for Bolin to register where he was. It was a decrepit cell made of cold stoned and then lined with metal. There was a small door with a just as equally small window.

He did his best to sit up, but pain ran down his spine. One of those guys had smacked him hard in the back. Escaping anytime soon would be impossible so Bolin just lay there dejectedly. He wondered when his brother or Korra would come to his rescue. Maybe running from them hadn't been too bright.

Sighing into the ground, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, but all he saw on the back of his closed lids was Eska's face and those eyes of hers. Why did he even keep trying to meet new girls when it always ended up like this? He shook his head to stop from thinking anymore and occupied his time with counting the minutes and hoping that wherever Pabu had scurried off to he was safe.

Suddenly, there were noises outside in the hallway. A struggle was going on with who Bolin guessed was another captive and those water benders. But there were no voices that he could recognize. Then, the voices grew closer and Bolin turned to look at the door. Something was blocking out the light from the window.

The door rattled and he heard the lock click open. Bolin tried to get up and ready himself to escape, but the second the door opened, someone was pushed onto him. He was knocked back, but still tried desperately to crawl to the closing door. The door slammed in front of him and the lock clicked. His chance for escape was over and his back now hurt worse than ever.

When he tried to move his legs, he realized the person that had been thrown in with him was still half on top of him. Reaching over, he pushed at the body and it rolled over. His jaw dropped when he saw who it was.

"Eska?!"

Forgetting about all the horrible things for a moment, he scrambled over to her. He checked her pulse and breathing to see that she was merely unconscious.

"…But why are you here?"

He mustered up enough strength and sat her up against one of the walls. She began to move, her eyes squeezing tight and then slowly opening. A small grunt of hers drifted through quiet room. Bolin watched her as she stared off into the distance with a vacant expression. She was unresponsive when he nudged her.

Bolin was glad he wasn't alone, but did it have to be with her? He slumped back onto the floor weakly.

"Come for me soon, Mako."

The hours passed with complete and dreaded silence. Neither of them moved.

There was a creak and then a slam of a door abruptly. Bolin listened but there was nothing but footsteps to hear.

"Where should we put him? All the cells have two."

Another voice chuckled, "Put him in that one. I want to see if she screams."

Bolin got up. What were they talking about? He didn't have to wait long because the lock opened and the door followed. Desna stood there. He was quickly pushed in and fell to his knees; the door shut.

"Desna!" Eska cried as she launched herself over to him.

Tears spilled out of her eyes and that's when Bolin grasped the fact she was not even looking at his face, but his arm. Desna moved to comfort her but it was obvious there was nothing he could do to stop the tears as blood trickled down his empty sleeve.

His own pain now meant nothing as Bolin took action. He ripped off part of Eska's robe and began the twist it tightly. He squeamishly wrapped the remaining part of his arm in a tourniquet.

He then looked to Eska, "Don't you know how to heal?"

She looked over to him with her shocked face and slowly shook her head.

"We have to get out of here fast then."

He pushed at the door, but it was no use.

"Damn it!"

"Why do you wish to save me?" Desna asked.

"What do you mean? You're hurt."

"…You called us horrible people…Do we not deserve this in your eyes? To die here?"

"What?" he exclaimed in confused, "No one deserves this, not even you two."

Eska suddenly got up and wrapped her blood covered arms around Bolin. She cried softly in his ear.

"Please, save my brother. I will do anything you wish of me."

Bolin looked at her and then the metal door. He wanted to save them, but how? Even if he got them out of here…there must dozens of men right outside.

Desna's gaze caught his attention. The twin knew what was going through Bolin's mind.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from high above them.

"Bolin!"

That was Mako's voice! Shoving his face into the small window, he screamed out, "Mako!"

There were more loud noises.

"Bolin?"

"In here!"

It was only a few minutes before Mako's face appeared in the window.

"Are you-" Mako stopped short when he saw the others, "…okay?"

"Not exactly…" Bolin dragged out.

Mako took another look at the twins and then dashed off, "I'll find a key."

Bolin heaved a weighty sigh, "Right on time, Mako."

Eska continued to hold him close.

"Desna, can you walk?" Bolin questioned.

The teen succeeded in getting to his feet, but seemed exhausted. Thankfully, Mako returned to open the door.

"How'd you get in here?" Bolin asked.

"United Forces…and Korra, of course. You get them out of here, okay? I'll get everyone else out."

Bolin nodded and smiled slightly as he helped the twins out through the maze of cells. They made it outside to see United Force soldiers all over.

A soldier ran over to them, "I'll take you to a healer."

Bolin nodded and led the twins to a nearby hut. He couldn't help but laugh a bit when the water bender inside turned out to be Korra.

It wasn't long before Desna's wounds were treated and he lay asleep in a small cot. Eska sat on the edge of the bed with napping Pabu in her lap, her eyes still wide with fear.


	3. Chapter 3

The war between the tribes was over. All the people attacked only received minor injuries which made Desna's wound seem all the more symbolic. There were not supposed to be sides. Water benders were supposed to stand united.

Bolin felt sorry for the twins, but it seemed to be a turning point for them. Their personalities, while not completely different, had changed. They were conscious of others, especially Eska. Her plea in the jail cell to do anything for Bolin was being executed without even being told.

But the easier to see transformation, was their physical appearance. Desna had made a bold statement with his new choice of clothing. His new robe was fashioned to only accommodate his remaining arm, making the loss visibly apparent. Eska had chosen to remove the water tribe ornaments from holding up her hair. No one had thought much of it in the first few days because her mind was, of course, not on such trivial things. But her hair remained this way after a week and it caused people to talk. All women of the tribe wore them with pride.

The spirits no longer seemed to be restless and Korra had decided that it was best to return to Tenzin's teaching. This meant that Bolin was going to leave. He made mention of it to the twins, but he had not gained any reaction.

As Bolin threw the last bag onto their ship, he turned to be met with the twins.

He jumped a little, "Oh, hey guys."

They remained standing there silently.

"Is there something you needed?"

Eska raised her arm to point to her left.

The teen looked over to see several bags of luggage.

Bolin was confused, "Wait a sec. Did Korra invite you or something?"

They shook their heads.

"You wanted to come?"

Mako suddenly yelled over the side of the boat, "Are you done yet?"

Turning to give his brother a questioning look, Bolin gestured at the twins.

After several minutes and long goodbyes, the ship set sail to their air temple location.

Everyone went under the deck to have something to eat. They all sat around a large and low table. Korra led loud, boisterous conversations. Bolin was usually the first to join in on whatever topic it happened to be, but now everything was so different. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened in that cell and the fact the twins always looked as though they were mourning did not make things easier.

As the food was finished being consumed, talking dwindled and Korra's loud yawn seemed to end the meal. Everyone started to leave, but Bolin remained sitting there, staring at the bottom of his finished tea. After a few minutes, his head popped up and realized he wasn't alone. Eska still sat across from him.

Bolin's eyes shot around the room, "Where's Desna?"

"He is changing his bandage."

"Oh…shouldn't he need help?"

"I believe he asked Korra."

"Oh, right. She's a healer…hold up. Back then, you said you couldn't heal him. Aren't all water bender girls supposed to know how to do that?"

Eska looked down at the table, "…that situation."

"Nerves! Totally get it! Sometimes before a probending match, I can get so nervous that I can't even move. There was this one time-"

"Do you still think about what happened?"

Bolin was thrown by the question and had to backtrack a minute to understand, "Yeah, I do."

"It is the only thing I see."

"It's hard to forget that."

"Desna wishes for me to forget."

Bolin was quiet. There was nothing he could think to say.

Desna chose that moment to walk back into the room. He looked expectantly toward his sister. They both left together.

Bolin headed topside to get some air before going to sleep. Mako was already up there and turned to smile at him.

"Hey, Bo."

"What's up?" he answered involuntarily.

"I wanted to ask you about the twins."

Bolin cringed slightly, "What do you wanna know?"

"Well, the way they're acting…you pulled off the leech?"

The earth bender looked out at the sea. That conversation felt like it had been so long ago. He didn't even think of Eska as a leech anymore. She wasn't scary. It had ended the second he had heard her cries.

Bolin shook his head, "It's not like that…remember that time I fell asleep when we went to park and some bug went down my shirt?"

"Yeah, Bo. But I don't see the comparison."

"Well, remember I freaked out and everything? But then when it fell out and I saw how tiny and pretty it was…" he trailed off.

Mako stared at his brother in confusion, "So you like her again? Bolin, I don't think that-"

"Don't worry, Mako. It's not like that…she's on the ground, not in a jar going home with me."

"...Ok."

Mako still seemed nervous, but he let the subject drop. Bolin tried to joke around with his brother but his mood just wasn't in high enough spirits, so he said good night and left to go to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

The night was a cold one and it made Bolin have twice as much trouble falling asleep. Visions of that day kept coming back and it made his stomach turn painfully.

There was a small knock on the door and Bolin looked over dumbly. The door handle twisted and the door slowly opened a few inches. A small figure slinked in. It was Eska. Her bulky robe was absent and she simply wore a loose tunic with her usual blue pants. Her feet were bare as she lightly stepped the three feet to the bed in the small room.

As she moved close, Bolin saw the sadness on her face. He reacted by instantly grabbing at her and pulling her into the bed. The implications of this action were not thought of at the moment. All that mattered to Bolin was the need to comfort her. He held her close for the next few minutes as she laid draped half off the bed and on top of the thick blankets.

The cold air made Eska shiver and she wormed her way under the sheets.

"Bolin…" she murmured.

They both fell asleep.

Bolin was awoken the next morning by scuffling and low muttering. Opening an eye, he spotted Eska in the morning light fixing her clothes hurriedly.

"What's going on?"

Eska looked over to him for a moment before heading over to the door. Bolin couldn't help but smile because she had fixed her clothes, but her hair was knotted and frizzy, a look that he found rather attractive.

She quickly pulled open the door and froze. Mako was right outside, his hand raised to knock. Everyone present paused in surprise. Eska was the first to recover. Gripping her tunic to her chest, she bowed her head and scuttled past Mako and out of the room.

Mako watched her walk down the hallway and then turned back to look at his brother with contempt. He moved into the room and shut the door behind him.

"What the hell was that?!"

Bolin stuttered unintelligibly.

"What happened to you 'leaving her at the park?' "

"It's not what it looks like, ok? She came in here last night for some company. We didn't do anything."

Mako groaned in frustration, "I don't even know what to say to that…just get up; it's breakfast time."

The table was quiet this time around. Bolin and Eska had chosen seats the farthest away from each other and Mako made sure to sit somewhere in between. Obviously, everyone already knew. Mako had told Korra, Asami had overheard and Desna was probably the first one to know.

Bolin hoped this would blow over soon.


	5. Chapter 5

By late afternoon the ship arrived to the Air Temple. Tenzin had been previously informed about what had happened. He was sensitive toward Korra despite their fight. They didn't waste time and went straight off to training.

Pema chuckled at her husband's eagerness, "That's Tenzin for you. I'll go make some tea for everyone."

"I'll help," Asami offered as they walked toward the temple.

Mako and Bolin followed until they heard Meelo's loud, abrasive voice.

"Why do you got only one arm?"

Desna stood there silently.

Jinora quickly carted off her brother and reprimanded him, "Don't just say things like that!"

Bolin expected to hear a negative comment, but Desna remained distant. It was, at least, some improvement.

Eska was much more receptive when Ikki approached her as they walked.

"You have really pretty hair! Could I braid? Korra never lets me braid hers."

"Perhaps at a later time, child," she flatly responded.

Ikki giggled and continued to walk near her.

Bolin settled down inside the Temple's living room on a large cushion with a sigh. Eska had followed him over, but a glare from Mako easily scared her into choosing a seat in the far corner. Ikki joined her at the small table haphazardly carrying a tea set.

"Do you want some tea?"

"Ok."

Her eyes trailed over to the others. Desna had isolated himself in a corner with Pabu and the others were merrily talking. Eska returned her attention to the table to find that the other children had joined her. Picking up her cup, she realized there was nothing in it and looked oddly at the children.

Jinora explained, "Ikki's too young to handle to handle any real tea."

"I am not!" Ikki spatted.

Meelo proceeded to taunt her.

Eska was now truly regretting her choice to sit here. With another look over she saw the others having a much more civilized conversation. After a few more minutes, she turned to the flamboyant children with an icy glare.

"What will I have to do to silence you three?"

The children exchanged looks.

Bolin tried his best to concentrate on the conversation at hand. He desperately wanted to go over to the twins because they did not seem to be having a great time, but Mako was very persistent about keeping him seated. Desna had created his own gloomy corner of the room with his despondent face and the small squeals from poor Pabu that was being pet with a little too much force. Eska seemed to be in great misery as well with all of the children…well, being children.

It wasn't long until Korra and Tenzin returned to join them.

"Hey," Mako smiled as Korra sat down next to him and gave him a kiss.

"Um, should I even ask about what's going on over there?" Korra frowned, pointing over to the children's table.

Everyone took a moment to look over. For the few minutes they had been left unattended, the children were causing more mayhem on Eska than she thought was possible. They had all agreed to be silent in exchange for what they were now currently doing…giving Eska a makeover. Since it had not been that long, they were still messing around with her hair as she sat facing toward everyone in the room with her back toward the table which Meelo and Ikki were using to reach the top of her head.

Pema thankfully came to the poor girl's rescue, "What do you think you three are doing?"

The children sheepishly ran off into the next room.

"I'm sorry, dear. The children can be so reckless sometimes."

Eska gave her a small nod of acknowledgement and proceeded to nurse her ailing scalp. Bolin gave his brother pleading eyes and Mako sighed.

The earthbender joyfully made his way over to the damsel in distress.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to save you sooner but my brother is-"

"He is most aggravating."

"Hmm?"

Eska finished flattening out her hair, "He should not be so invasive in your private affairs."

Bolin nervously chuckled, "He's just looking out for me."

She glowered, "He does not approve of me?"

"Well, you did kind of enslave me for a while there."

Eska studied the tea set on the table, "I was only treating you the way you should be treated."

"The way I should be-No offense, but you're a crazy psychopath!"

"My father has always taught me that if you are not in control of others, you are being controlled."

"And now your father's in prison. You think maybe he's not the best person to listen to?"

"Family loyalty is strong within the Northern Water Tribe. Do you not place your own father in high regard?"

Bolin brushed aside the question, "Friendship can be just as strong as family. Why are not open to anyone else's opinion?"

Eska stared him down, but Bolin stayed firm. After a few moments, she opened her mouth to let out the tiniest of voices.

"I have committed a faux pas. Your father is deceased, is he not?"

Bolin flushed, "How..?"

"Your face is very easy to read."

"The fact that I don't know my father doesn't change anything! You shouldn't just trust someone because you want to believe they're right."

Bolin then got up from the floor and walked over to the other depressed twin, hoping to save Pabu.

"Sup," he nervously greeted, sitting down next to Desna.

"Hello," he solemnly spoke.

Thankfully, Pabu had escaped the teen's grasp and was now sitting on his shoulders.

"Looks like Pabu seems to like you."

"You have upset my sister."

Bolin stiffened, "Oh, you heard that. Um…sorry."

"No one has ever affected her in such a way. I admire your bravery and I know you will keep her safe."

"Wait, what?"

"A man with such passion for his beliefs is the only type of man to satisfy my sister's needs."

"Thank you…?"


	6. Chapter 6

Bolin woke up alone the next morning. He had half expected Eska to come to him again, but he supposed that was too much to ask considering their disagreement. Sighing, he headed outside to enjoy the morning air.

As he headed down to the gardens, there was a figure of a woman standing farther away. She wore a white billowing dress and walked slowly through the flowers. Bolin's curiosity got the better of him and he walked over to greet her. A lovely woman like her deserved an escort or something, right?

Nearing the woman, Bolin stopped short when he realized who it was. Out of all the people it could have been, it was Eska.

"Eska!" he gasped.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

Bolin regained his composure, "Good morning. I didn't realize it was you. You, uh, changed your clothes."

"Yes, the weather is much more humid here. My robes are most uncomfortable."

"Oh, right. Makes sense. You look good in it though…"

Eska did not care to respond, so Bolin continued to talk, "About yesterday- I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or made you uncomfortable."

"Your apology is noted."

Bolin raised an eyebrow at her awkward answer and then looking away he swallowed, "So…breakfast should be served soon. Do you wanna walk back together?"

"No, thank you. Your stride is much too unsteady for me to comfortably walk along with you," she began to walk back toward the Temple, "You may follow behind if you wish."

"How can an earthbender be unsteady?" he muttered to himself as he followed her back.

This morning's breakfast was served outdoors and lasted for quite a while as everyone was lazily enjoying their surroundings.

After Tenzin's sister, Kya, excused herself, Desna left the table as well in pursuit of the waterbender. They stopped and began talking a few feet away.

Korra was very interested in this interaction, "What's going on with those two?"

Mako chimed in, "I saw them talking yesterday, too."

"Perhaps my brother wishes to receive training from her," Eska speculated.

"Training?" Korra asked, "But Southern style waterbending is completely different than Northern. Why would he need to learn both; wouldn't that just get confusing?"

"His past skills are no longer applicable. He is most likely requesting adjustment on his technique."

"Huh?" Mako sounded.

Bolin frowned, "He lost an arm, bro. Kinda hard to bend the same way after that happens."

There was a communal and saddened 'oh' around the table.

Eska then suddenly got up and left.

Korra decided to lighten up the situation and turned to the kids, "So, your father was talking earlier about this lake up in the mountains. I thought that maybe we could all go for a swim today."

Ikki looked toward Tenzin, "Can we, dad?"

Tenzin sighed slightly, but happily smiled at his children, "Why not."

"Yay!" Meelo and Ikki yelled.

It wasn't long before everyone was ready to head out, though Pema and the baby had decided to stay behind and have some quiet.

Bolin said goodbye to Pema and ran off to catch up with the others. He stopped short when a familiar white dressed figure caught his eye. Eska was standing there as she watched to others go down the trail.

"Aren't you going with us? Densa's even going."

"I am not attending."

"Oh," Bolin pouted, "but it will be fun. Come on, do it for me."

Eska's shoulders shot up, "Fine, I will accompany you."

"Huh? But you just said…?"

"I am indebted to you, am I not?"

Bolin remembered that she had promised him anything, "But I don't want you to go if you don't want to."

"Would it make you happy if I attended?"

"Well, yeah."

She turned from him and began to walk down the trail. Bolin stood there, stunned.

"Hurry along, dawdling Bolin. We will lose them."

He hurried up after her.

It took Bolin the matter of the half an hour walk to the lake to realize that Eska had been walking next to him instead of in front of him. Before he could question her though, Ikki grabbed onto his hand.

"Come on, Bolin. Let's play some water tag."

"Ok, ok."

Eska took a seat on one of the rocks and watched the others enjoy the water.

Desna was surprisingly playful in the water. He swam around with just his nose and up above the surface, lightly splashing at others when they passed him. Bolin wondered if Eska would have as much fun if convinced to get into the water.

He pulled himself out of the water and walked over to her rock.

"Hey," he said, as he hopped up next to her, "You don't want to go in the water?"

"I see no point," she answered dryly.

"Your bro seems to like it," Bolin commented, gesturing at Desna, who was currently talking with Jinora.

Her facial expression twisted up for moment, "I do not have the proper attire."

Bolin's face lit up, "I bet Korra has something you can borrow. Hey, Korra!"

Korra turned around from her spot cuddling with Mako.

Bolin waited eagerly as Korra helped Eska fix her bathing suit.

Mako rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me you just got her here to see her half naked."

The earthbender straightened up and cleared his throat, "Of course not. I just wanted her to have fun."

Korra exited from behind the boulders, "Well, that was a lot stranger than I thought it would be."

The brothers exchanged looks before watching Eska come out.

Her physical appearance definitely matched her awkward personality. Despite Korra being her cousin, she would easily be described as the exact opposite. Her frame was thin and fairly similar to her brother's except for small hips and a pair of medium breasts, but they appeared even smaller with the tight bindings of the bathing suit.

Eska walked over to the water and Bolin quickly followed.


	7. Chapter 7

The brisk, night air soon rolled in and everyone packed up to go back to the Temple. Bolin lingered behind as he watched Eska floating on the surface of the water like a piece of drift wood.

"You coming, Bo?" Mako asked as he stood over his brother.

Bolin shook his head, "Eska's having fun, so I'll stay to walk her back."

The firebender squinted at the girl in the water, "That's fun?"

"She _is_ smiling."

Mako once again looked out at the water in confusion, "I really don't understand what you see in her."

"For the last time, I don't _see_ anything in her."

Rolling his eyes, Mako walked off, "See ya later."

Bolin didn't let his brother's words bother him. Eska was still akward as ever, but she wasn't some girl he couldn't be friends with, right? He rubbed his eyes in frustration and looking over toward the water, he realized that Eska wasn't there anymore.

"Eska?" he announced to thin air. She was nowhere in sight.

Bolin hobbled down to the water and jumped in.

"Eska?!"

He quickly searched around the water blindly until he was suddenly yanked from below. Before Bolin could react, he was pulled under the water. He panicked momentarily until he saw the lazy, familiar gaze of Eska.

She pulled him in close as he tried to make back to the surface for air. Suddenly, a gush of air slapped his face and he could breathe again.

"Ok, this is weird."

Bolin looked around him to see that both their heads were enveloped in a pocket of air.

"Cool…I always heard stories of waterbenders doing this, but to actually be here is amazing."

"I am glad you are entertained."

Eska moved in closer and held Bolin in a loose hug. She avoided eye contact and a blush stained her cheeks. Bolin backed off slightly. Was she hitting on him or something? Because he definitely was not ready for this. He had finally gotten over being tortured by this woman and she expected him to like her back.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked, flatly.

"Um, I was just wondering what's going on here?"

"Do you have a faulting memory? I am indebted to you. You seemed most interested in my body today. I am simply satisfying your desires."

Without skipping a beat, Eska wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Bolin's eyes shot open and he quickly pushed her away effectively ejecting him from the air bubble. He swam to the surface and let out panting breathes.

Eska had kissed him? He couldn't be more confused now.

Eska surfaced and exited the water.

"Have I done something incorrectly?" she asked.

"Duh!" he shouted helplessly.

"You did not wish for me to kiss you?"

"No! I would rather kiss your brother!"

"My brother is not gay," she commented unfazed.

"And neither am I! That's the point I'm trying to make! I hate you!"

"You do not need to like me in order to have sexual relations."

"I kinda do," he said with a quieter voice, "The women I attract are always completely unaware of how I feel."

Bolin trudged out of the water only to be met by Eska.

"What?" he asked with annoyance.

"I apologize."

He glared at her and shot back her own words, "Noted."

The walk back to the Temple was a quiet one as Bolin fumed about being taken advantage of. When they got back, Mako was waiting expectantly in the living room.

Bolin sat down next to him.

"You wanna talk about it, Bo?"

"No," he huffed, then after a minute he popped his cork, "That woman is so aggravating!"

Mako sighed, "What happened?"

"She tried to have sex with me!"

"I'm pretty sure you misunderstood her actions, Bolin."

He scoffed, "There were no 'actions' to decipher. She flat out told me."

Mako stared at his brother strangely, "Why would she-? Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Bolin looked away, "She kinda might feel a bit like she's indebted to me."

"What? Why?"

He looked down solemnly, "When she thought Desna was going to die, she promised me anything if I got him out of there. I didn't realize she would take it so seriously."

Mako stood up, "Of course, she would. If someone saved me when you asked them, wouldn't you do anything for them?"

"I suppose."

"And what if everything you did was never enough for them?"

"…I would feel horrible."

"You get it now, Bo?"

"You want me to have sex with her?"

Mako glared, "No, you need to tell her what to do."

"I don't want her to be my slave, bro."

"That's not what I meant. What would you want to hear if you were her?"

Bolin stood up, "I'll go talk to her."

Mako nodded.

It took forever for Bolin to find Eska. She had not been anywhere in the Temple, but outside in the gardens.

She was sitting on the ground next to a tree. He slowly walked up to her. As he studied her over, he noticed something in her hand that was reflecting the moonlight. When he identified what it was, he pushed his foot down into the earth and popped the object up into the air. Eska flinched when it landed with a clank on the rocky soil. It was a small knife that she had been holding.

"I make you feel useless, don't I?" Bolin asked understanding her situation.

"The only thing I am capable of doing is making your life horrible."

Bolin sighed and sat down, "I know you're smart, but you can't just guess the way I feel."

She remained silent.

Without thinking, Bolin leaned in and held her, "The only thing you need to do to make me happy is being happy yourself."


End file.
